The present invention is directed to the field of electronic control, and more specifically directed to vehicular electronic control.
When several people share the operating responsibilities of a vehicle, each particular operator needs to customize various settings, such as the angle of the mirrors and the position of the driver""s seat. When another operator wants to operate the vehicle, he or she must reposition and reset all those customized features. Resetting all the devices in a complex vehicle can take time, and if not done correctly, such as the positioning of the mirrors, can result in accidents. Besides settings and preferences, restrictions may be imposed on certain operators of vehicles. For example a commercial truck driver may be authorized to drive no more than a limited number of hours per day. Often, there is presently no easy way to enforce these restrictions until after they have been violated, and quite often, there is no way to determine if the restrictions have been violated at all.
Presently, vehicle device settings are generally changed manually. These settings include vehicle mirrors, temperature settings, radio station preferences, seat positions, and so on. Even if the devices changed are driven by electric motors, the driver or operator of the vehicle sets each of them to his or her preference.
When restrictions are imposed on a vehicle operator, most often they are enforced by other people, such as law enforcement officers and parents. In the case of convicted drunk drivers, some vehicles may be equipped with a breathalyser machine which does not allow the driver to move the car without first passing a breath test for alcohol.
While devices in a vehicle are being transformed from mechanical to electronic control, many devices combine mechanical operation with increasing electronic content. There is presently little or no communication between the devices and/or the specific allocation of a device to satisfy requirements/desires of a particular operator. In some cases, vehicle communication considerations are generally and primarily employed to reduce the weight and cost of point to point wiring harnesses.
The invention leverages the increasing electronic content in modern vehicles by connecting these electronic devices. These electronic devices are herein referred to also as electronic islands connected to a controller. It further uses a storage device in the vehicle, to store vehicle customizations and/or restrictions, and to provide capability for defining and logging significant vehicle events. Combining the electronic vehicle components with a storage device and a controller in a vehicle network enables providing operator specific settings for each of a set of vehicle operators.
These customizations add to operator and passenger comfort and safety. They also enable application of setting restrictions to and log the vehicle""s use parameters. These add previously unavailable tools to entities as diverse as a parent monitoring a teen driver, a company or government agency regulating a truck driver, vessel captain or pilot, a vehicle training facility, a rental car company setting terms for a car rental and handling returns off line, and a car owner relinquishing the vehicle to a parking lot attendant.
An aspect of the invention is to provide a method for controlling vehicle settings. The method comprises providing a list of customization settings for at least a first user, reading a first portion of information from the list, and writing a third portion of information from information obtained in the step of reading to at least one functional device in the vehicle.
In an embodiment the method further comprises the functional device(s) responding to the second portion of information; and/or the step of providing is comprised of the first user of the vehicle manually setting at least one functional device setting according to a desire, and saving the manual settings; and/or the step of providing includes providing a storage device for the first user; and/or the step of reading includes reading a second portion of information from the storage device; and/or the step of responding includes the functional device becoming enabled in a state in accordance with the information; and/or the step of providing is comprised of retrieving a particular user settings record from a storage system, and saving the retrieved user settings record in the storage device; and/or the customization settings customize the vehicle to at least one specification provided by the first user; and/or wherein the customization settings customize the vehicle to at least one other occupant; and/or the customization settings include restrictions to the use of the vehicle; and/or the storage device is portable and/or contactless; and/or the storage device conforms to an international standard and/or the functional device(s) includes a power seat positioner and/or the step of responding comprises optimizing deployment of an air bag in the vehicle according to the height of at least one occupant of the vehicle; and/or a vehicle authority is a rental agency or a vehicle insurance company agent; and/or the method further comprising inserting the storage device into a vehicle door; and/or the step of reading the third portion of information is performed by reading the storage device when inserted into a vehicle door; and/or the step of inserting unlocks the vehicle door; and/or reading a current state of at least one functional device into a controller; and/or writing the current state to the storage device.
Another aspect of the invention is the provision of a method for controlling settings of at least one functional device in a vehicle. The method comprising: reading a current state of at least one functional device into a controller, writing information from the controller to at least one functional device, and the at least one functional device responding to the information.
In an embodiment of the method, the functional device(s) includes a clock and a global positioning system supplying time of day and date information; and/or the functional device includes a speedometer and a global positioning system supplying speed limit information, and a vehicle cruise control system which automatically controls an operating speed of the vehicle.
Still another aspect of the invention is the provision of an apparatus for controlling settings of a plurality of functional devices in a vehicle. The apparatus comprising: an acceptance device for accepting a plurality of user settings for a vehicle user, and a controller to forward the user settings from the acceptance device to at least one of the functional devices in the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a storage device having a list of a first subset of settings for the user and/or the controller is enabled to read at least one current setting from at least one of the functional devices; and/or a device enabler to enable functional devices to respond to the user settings, and/or the enabler includes an ignition switch; and/or an input device capable of receiving a subset of user settings entered manually, and/or wherein a first entry in the second subset is construed to override a second entry in the first subset; and/or the acceptance device is located on a vehicle door; and/or the acceptance device is capable of receiving wireless communication signals from a storage device.
Another aspect of the invention is the provision of an apparatus for recording settings of a plurality of functional devices in a vehicle. In an embodiment, the apparatus comprises a monitor for monitoring to read at least one state setting of each of at least one of the functional devices, the at least one of the functional devices being capable of making available the at least one state to the device monitor, means for accepting to receive information from the device monitor, and means for storing to store the information received by the means for accepting.
In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprising wiring harness means to substantially interconnect the device monitor, the means for accepting, and the functional devices.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for controlling vehicle settings, the computer readable program code means in the article of manufacture comprising a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of providing a list of customization settings for at least a first user, reading a first portion of information from the list, and writing a second portion of information from information obtained in the step of reading to at least one functional device in the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the computer readable program code means in the article of manufacture further comprises a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the at least one functional device responding to the second portion of information; and/or the step of providing is comprised of the first user of the vehicle manually setting at least one functional device setting according to a desire, and saving the manual settings; and/or the step of providing includes providing a storage device for the first user; and/or the step of reading includes reading a second portion of information from the storage device; and/or the step of responding includes enabling the functional device in a state in accordance with the information; and/or the step of providing is comprised of retrieving a particular user settings record from a storage system, and saving the retrieved user settings record in the storage device; and/or the customization settings include restrictions to the use of the vehicle.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for controlling settings of at least one functional device in a vehicle. The computer readable program code means in the computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect: reading a current state of at least one functional device into a controller, and writing information from the controller to at least one functional device.
In an embodiment, the computer readable program code means in the computer program product further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect, the functional device responding to the information; and/or the functional device includes a clock and a global positioning system supplying time of day and date information; and/or the at least one functional device includes a suspension controller for controlling the suspension of the vehicle; and/or the step of responding comprises setting performance and comfort variations for the suspension.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for controlling vehicle settings. The method comprising providing a list of customization settings for at least a first user, reading a first portion of information from the list, and writing a second portion of information from information obtained in the step of reading to at least one functional device in the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the method steps further comprises the functional device responding to the second portion of information; and/or the step of providing includes providing a storage device for the first user; and/or the step of responding includes the functional device becoming enabled in a state in accordance with the second portion of information.